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Editorial Reviews
2010 REISSUE : Digitally remastered, with 5 rare BONUS tracks! Uncompromising 1979 album of primitive electronics 'n' potent post-punk from the Ohio oddballs. Includes their cover of Johnny Rivers' "Secret Agent Man".
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 51 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Some people prefer Devo's first, Eno produced record, or the later "sellout' records like Freedom Of Choice and New Traditionalists. But nowhere did Devo strike a more perfect balance between guitars and synthesisers than on Duty Now.
The first record was really a guitar/punk album, and the later records rely heavily on synths, which in retrospect make all the records which followed Duty Now kind of dated in that cheesy 80's way (i.e. Whip It). But on Duty Now For The Future, the guitars and keyboards mix to form a perfectly synergised, melting plastic kind of sound, which they never bettered. There are amazing songs on this record - Pink Pussycat, Blockhead, Wiggly World, and the epic Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA. This is a truly unique record which still sounds fresh today.
Devo's tableau of de-evolution, punk perviness, and corporate toxemia really click on this record. At no point does this heady subject matter seem forced - the schtick is delivered confidently, artfully and with much humor. This is a truly visionary record that deserves to be rediscovered - one of the few records from that period that can be held up as genius 25 years later.
The first record was really a guitar/punk album, and the later records rely heavily on synths, which in retrospect make all the records which followed Duty Now kind of dated in that cheesy 80's way (i.e. Whip It). But on Duty Now For The Future, the guitars and keyboards mix to form a perfectly synergised, melting plastic kind of sound, which they never bettered. There are amazing songs on this record - Pink Pussycat, Blockhead, Wiggly World, and the epic Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA. This is a truly unique record which still sounds fresh today.
Devo's tableau of de-evolution, punk perviness, and corporate toxemia really click on this record. At no point does this heady subject matter seem forced - the schtick is delivered confidently, artfully and with much humor. This is a truly visionary record that deserves to be rediscovered - one of the few records from that period that can be held up as genius 25 years later.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Understand that when this album was released in 1979, those of us who bought it -- on vinyl, with the "postcard" of the band on the cover perforated for removal -- were surrounded by a sea of slick, ponderous AOR mediocrity. Even the heretofore edgy Blondie released their "manistream" Parallel Lines album in the same year, complete with 'The Disco Song.' The spuds' sophomore effort is substantially more futuristic, warped, and in your face than their first album. Ditties like the odd but fathomable "Space Junk" and "Mongoloid" on 1978's Are We Not Men? have now devolved to songs like "Swelling Itching Brain" and "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize."
This is not to say that the guitars and beats aren't there, as evidenced by their cover of "Secret Agent Man," both the remaster studio version and the bonus live version, but the band is, yes, more devolved. Instead of a standard post-punk rock band with an emphasis on synthesizers, they are now, with this album, becoming one of the first synthesizer bands crossing over into critical and commercial success.
For those who care about such things -- and I suspect the audience for this record fits the description -- the sound of this remaster manages to retain the late 70's/early 80's "sound," but with increased dynamic punch and more natural midrange.
This is not to say that the guitars and beats aren't there, as evidenced by their cover of "Secret Agent Man," both the remaster studio version and the bonus live version, but the band is, yes, more devolved. Instead of a standard post-punk rock band with an emphasis on synthesizers, they are now, with this album, becoming one of the first synthesizer bands crossing over into critical and commercial success.
For those who care about such things -- and I suspect the audience for this record fits the description -- the sound of this remaster manages to retain the late 70's/early 80's "sound," but with increased dynamic punch and more natural midrange.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
DEVO caught a minor case of the sophomore slump after their brilliant debut. "Duty Now For The Future" is a really, really good album that came after a perfect one, and it does shrivel in comparison. The DEVO eyes had turned from the sound of things falling apart to the machinery that made it go. Having used up most of their "conceptual" songs for the debut, we were served up musings on love work and death. "Swelling Itching Brain" and "The Day My Baby Gave Me A Surprise" are a pair DEVO hall of famers.
This is also the home of one of DEVO's best statement-of-purpose songs, the concert fave "Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA." Declaring themselves to be "suburban robots to monitor reality," DEVO make the claim that they are here to protect both man and mutant, only to discover that Mr. DNA deems them fit to "sacrifice themselves so many others may live!" It also rocks harder than anything else DEVO ever recorded for the first part of their career. After this, the slick success of "Whip It" kind of tamed them...if you ever considered DEVO tamable.
And there's something else. I had always been annoyed by the production of the original album, and wondered why the band and producer Ken Scott chose to leave the album in a flat, murky sounding final mix. This re-issue corrects that in a serious way. While there are no indications that the disc was remixed, everything sounds sharper and more distinct. It's raised my original rating of "Duty Now..." to five stars because frankly, this sounds utterly new and exciting all over again.
This is also the home of one of DEVO's best statement-of-purpose songs, the concert fave "Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA." Declaring themselves to be "suburban robots to monitor reality," DEVO make the claim that they are here to protect both man and mutant, only to discover that Mr. DNA deems them fit to "sacrifice themselves so many others may live!" It also rocks harder than anything else DEVO ever recorded for the first part of their career. After this, the slick success of "Whip It" kind of tamed them...if you ever considered DEVO tamable.
And there's something else. I had always been annoyed by the production of the original album, and wondered why the band and producer Ken Scott chose to leave the album in a flat, murky sounding final mix. This re-issue corrects that in a serious way. While there are no indications that the disc was remixed, everything sounds sharper and more distinct. It's raised my original rating of "Duty Now..." to five stars because frankly, this sounds utterly new and exciting all over again.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
duhh.. it's DEVO
great quality recording..
it's DEVO what's not to like
they rocked in the 80's and still do
almost as good as remastered
it's DEVO what's not to like
they rocked in the 80's and still do
almost as good as remastered
Published 2 days ago by Frank C Panzarella
5.0 out of 5 stars
Back then they saw today better than many do
I have become such a fan boy of their work over the years. So much crap comes out that doesn’t really say anything about the world around us but these guys do and in a way if you... Read more
Published 5 days ago by Christopher
4.0 out of 5 stars
Duty Now (vinyl)
I had this on tape as a kid, then iPod as an adult. Now I have it on vinyl and I like listening to the whole album start to finish rather than random songs on shuffle. Read more
Published 2 months ago by KendoPt4
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very good for a repressing
I had the original vinyl and the cassette for this album. I am thrown by the added time between songs, but other than that I am happy with the quality of the product.
Published 20 months ago by John Saccoman
5.0 out of 5 stars
I should dock a star for not going all the way with proper bonus...
I never really understood the venomous hate for this album. Rolling Stone panned this album upon it's release ("To say that this critic despises Devo does not go nearly far enough. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Michael Smith
2.0 out of 5 stars
Too much novelty, not enough quality
I don't like this stuff because it just sounds too darn silly today.
Look, I was there, I was attracted to the hype. Read more
Look, I was there, I was attracted to the hype. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Scott B. Saul
4.0 out of 5 stars
Can't go back now.
When I think back to the teenager I was back then, I'm glad I listended to what I did. Deeply immersed in the whole "new wave" thing, this album mostly puzzled me. Read more
Published on April 11, 2011 by paul a james
5.0 out of 5 stars
Man, it's been a long time!!!
I had this album on vinyl back in the late 1980s, then recorded it on cassette so I could listen to it in my car. Read more
Published on April 1, 2011 by jmd123
4.0 out of 5 stars
one of my favorites
i remember this album from 1980. brings back fond memories of playing dungeons and dragons in my basement during highschool.
Published on February 7, 2011 by Oscar A Wiggy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really? There is no reason for a 2 1/2 star rating...
...unless the vinyl pressing was botched, which I would have heard if it wasn't. I never really understood the venomous hate for this album. Read more
Published on December 31, 2010 by Michael Smith
